Over the summer, DC, following their 1-shot specials pairing DCU favorites with Hanna-Barbera characters, tried to do the same with some of the WB Looney Tunes gang. Coming nearly 20 years after Mark Evanier & Joe Staton's Superman-Bugs Bunny miniseries, which was reprinted as a 1-shot special for $8 as part of the promotion, these 1-shots were hit & miss.
One of DC's hottest writers, Tom King, decided to give Elmer Fudd a noirish makeover in pairing the hapless hunter with Batman. Lee Weeks' artwork helps the mood, influenced as it was by the late Gene Colan, who actually drew Batman back in the 80's for a time. Unfortunately, while there are human characters named Porky & Bugs, among others, and a present-day analogue for Yosemite Sam is present, King's plot nearly falls apart when it turns out that Elmer and Bruce Wayne are both in love with the same woman, and they're both being played.
The Looney back-up, also written by King, shows that humor isn't his strong suit, and this short, also featuring Bugs Bunny, riffs on the Bugs/Elmer/Daffy Duck trilogy of shorts, but it reads like King is auditioning to write for Teen Titans Go!. That drags the rating down.
Rating: B--.
Meanwhile, Sam Humphries and Tom Grummett send Bugs off to the 31st century to meet the Legion of Superheroes in a tale that parodies the Legion's legendary first meeting with Superboy back in the Silver Age. There are some familiar Legion tropes that fans will recognize, but Humphries tries cramming too much in, such that you get the feeling something is wrong. Then, Humphries doubles down with an alternate take on the same story, drawn by Juan Manuel Ortiz, one of the regular artists on the now-bi-monthly Looney Tunes book. At least he gets Bugs right.
Rating: B+. I expected better.
Speaking of the Legion, they also co-starred in a Batman '66 1-shot that sends the Dynamic Duo to the future, where it's purported that Universo, one of the Legion's legendary foes, is related to a made-for-TV Bat-enemy, Egghead. Nothing says jump the shark better than twisting DC canon inside out and failing. No new Batman '66 comics have been announced since, but this was not the way to go-go if this is the end.
Rating: C.
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Comics on TV: With Riverdale beginning its 2nd season in 3 weeks on a new night (Wednesdays, trading nights and air times with Arrow), head writer-producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has managed to option his oft-delayed Chilling Adventures of Sabrina into a TV series, ticketed for the 2018-9 season, ensuring that his deconstruction of the beloved Archie Comics characters continues unabated.
Consider what he's done already. Forget the eternal triangle of Archie, Betty, & Veronica. Archie & Veronica are a couple, and so are Betty and Jughead (!). No Big Ethel in sight. Also, Moose has been rebooted, as they tried teasing a relationship with Kevin Keller. A "Bughead"-centric story appeared in a recent issue of TV Guide as part of their annual Comic-Con issue in July. Early spoilers for the season opener suggest Archie & Veronica getting busy in the shower. Forget about chaste relationships in this universe, friends.
Once Sabrina launches, that would give Greg Berlanti 7 shows on the CW. What's next, letting him program the network?
Have to believe fans of Riverdale were holding their breath when word got out earlier that KJ Apa (Archie) was in a car accident in Vancouver, where the show is shot, along with most of the CW roster. Luckily, Apa was unhurt. However, word is that there is some unrest over unreasonable working conditions (i.e. the producers not supplying the cast with rental cars, etc.), which has to do with network policy. I get that they tape most of their shows in Canada, with some exceptions (i.e. Whose Line is it Anyway?) to save money, but going el-scrimpo on amenities for the cast? Please.
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Coming Attractions/Distractions: Before Black Lightning debuts on CW, a new 6-part miniseries launches from DC in November, written by series creator and fellow blogger Tony Isabella. The 2nd trade paperback collection of classic Black Lightning stories, collected from World's Finest and elsewhere in the late 70's and early 80's, hits stores at the end of January. Strangely, it's more expensive than the first collection, and this new edition collects stories written by Denny O'Neil and others.
Archie will try to jumpstart the Dark Circle line again in December with the return of the Mighty Crusaders. Can't see this working with the R-rated language used in the other books. Call this Dark Circle's last chance.
While he's waiting for his next UFC fight, CM Punk (Phil Brooks) is scripting a Master of Kung Fu 1-off for Marvel in November. He's already demonstrated a master's touch as a writer at both DC & Marvel, so this should be good. Can't say I'm as enthused about the 1-shot return of Marvel's original superhero satire book, Not Brand Ecch, also in November. I think it's closing in on or reaching its 50th anniversary, which would be reason enough to bring it back, but I don't know if it'd work today. Just sayin'.
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